


The Wolf That Lost His Way

by TheorianDG



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Barista Scott, Grief/Mourning, M/M, POV Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 06:45:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3841030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheorianDG/pseuds/TheorianDG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek Hale has been through Hell. After the fire that stole his family away, Derek doesn't really know what to with his life. Sure, there's uncle Peter but he can barely stand the man let alone run the family company with him. So he flees home to Beacon Hills, to the last place his family was truly whole and avoids as much human contact as possible. It's not until the anniversary of the fire, outside a familiar cafe that Derek encounters a certain barista and suddenly, he doesn't want to be alone a second longer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wolf That Lost His Way

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is the first bit of fanfiction I have written in years and I'm more than a bit rusty. 
> 
> This story really came from a conversation I had with a friend, about how its so casual to ask someone if they're okay and expect no other answer besides "I'm okay" or "I'm fine." If you're not, you just grin and bare it, because you know that this person really doesn't care enough to actually listen to you talk about how much you're actually in pain.
> 
> But then, you find the one person who does.
> 
> (May or may not also do a chapter of this exact story from Scott's POV.)

Derek isn’t really sure how he finds himself sitting outside this particular cafe again. Mostly he attributes it to the fact that he just doesn’t want to go home, back to his overly large empty apartment. Being there, among all that clutter and space, does little more than remind him of all that he’s lost. Derek knows to some extent that he should at least be thankful for Peter, but he and his uncle have never seen eye to eye. The man barely even talks to Derek anymore, spending the majority of his time running Hale Industries. 

Since the fire, Peter’s changed in ways that Derek barely even recognizes him at times anymore. It shouldn't bother him as much as it does, that the only family he has left is all but a stranger to him. Sitting among the small tables lining the cafe window, Derek realizes how foolish it is to be avoiding his own home. To Derek, his family had always felt like home and with them gone nothing quite feels the same.

In truth, Derek isn't actually too fond of this place but it was always his mother’s favorite cafe in town. She always preferred the locally owned businesses, her own small way of supporting the community of Beacon Hills. So every year, on this day, at the anniversary of the fire he always comes here. Even though he constantly tells himself not to return. It’s agonizing, how easy it is to imagine her sitting across the table, smiling serenely.

God, he misses her. 

He misses them all more than anything in the world, the pain of their absence is a constant ache that never leaves him. Time does not in fact, heal all wounds. It might hurt less but the pain always stays, he’s begun to think it will always be with him.

“Excuse me?” 

Derek looks up to find one of the baristas. A tan looking guy with a mop of brown hair and crooked jaw, watching him with unabashed concern. It’s bewildering to say the least, Derek hasn't had anyone show him honest concern in so long. It’s practically a foreign concept all together. At this point, Derek realizes he’s been sitting here, staring into space for close to an hour. His black coffee has long since gone cold, left abandoned in the wake of Derek’s reverie. “Sorry,” though it comes out sounding more like a plea than an apology “I must have spaced out there for a minute.”

The guy, Scott, his name tag reads only frowns at him, a sad look in his deep brown eyes. Scott’s got on a pair of black slacks and a white button up shirt open at the neck, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Derek glimpses the edge of a tattoo. What appears to be a pair of black bands wrapped around his biceps, which Derek does his best not to stare at. “It was way longer than that, man.” Before Derek has the chance to respond, Scott plucks his cold coffee off the table and replaces it with a fresh one. 

“You didn't have to do that. Thanks.” Derek attempts a smile but he’s sure it must look as about as forced as it feels on his end.

“Are you okay?” The question seems to take Scott by surprise almost as much as it Derek. Scott disposes of Derek’s abandoned coffee in one of the nearby trash cans, he turns back to Derek looking like a lost puppy. The kindness of strangers is not something Derek’s accustomed to, so to say the question catches him off guard would be an understatement. 

“Yeah, I’m uh…” okay, the word hangs on the tips of his tongue but he can’t bring himself to say it. For whatever reason, he can’t lie to this man. So he hunches forward, pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers “I’m actually not doing so well.” Derek doesn't for the life of him know what brings it out, he’s never admitted anything was wrong aloud. Certainly he’s never spoken to anyone about it, despite Peter’s urging that he go see a therapist of some kind.

Scott, to his ever growing credit doesn’t seem to mind his honesty. He just smiles, it’s sad but its there and it lights up his whole face and suddenly it feels like Derek is seeing him for the first time. And he is beautiful. Scot’s smile alone is enough to lift Derek’s spirit, it’s a rare graceful brand of kindness that frankly Derek finds a little intimidating. It surprises him all the same when Scott sits down across from him, a patient and open look on his handsome face. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Maybe it’s his stunning smile, maybe its just that he’s asking when no one else cares but for whatever reason, Derek does just that. He talks.

He talks for what seems like hours. He tells Scott about the fire, about Laura, about Peter, about how alone he feels in the world. He doesn't mention Kate, whatever effect Scott has on him isn't enough to alleviate the pain associated with that particular memory. All Scott does is listen, he hangs on every tortured word that spills from Derek’s lips, nodding occasionally with a careful smile. They’re interrupted then, when on of the other baristas comes over. A tall, lanky guy flails ungracefully over to them, from a glance Derek notices a sense of intimacy between the two them. 

The barista, Stiles, Scott calls him asks very loudly why Scott is being a bitch and isn't helping him run the front. An unreasonable pang of jealousy runs through him, watching the careful back forth Derek feels like he’s intruding on something private. Occasionally Stiles glances at Derek over Scott’s shoulder, not bothering to hide to the irritation in his stare. Scott manages to send Stiles away with the promise of, if Derek hears correctly, an all night gaming marathon. 

Pouting, Stiles retreats back into the cafe but not before throwing one last look Derek’s way. This time, however, it’s more assessing than anything else and Derek could swear there’s a spark of something in the his honey colored eyes. “Sorry about that,” Scott flashs a brief apologetic smile that just takes Derek’s breath away “Stiles, can be a bit...weird at times. So, what were you saying?”

A part of him wants to keep going, if only for no other reason than to keep Scott here, with him. So he can avoid being alone for just a little longer but Scott’s still a stranger, Derek already feels like he’s said too much. Actually he knows he’s said too much. “I’m actually pretty sick of hearing myself talk,” at least he wasn't talking to himself this time “thanks though, for listening I mean.”

Scott smiles, its dazzling and adorable and it makes Derek’s insides churn in a pleasant way he hasn’t felt in years. “Not a problem, glad I could help.” It’s then that Scott looks confused, like he’s not quite sure what to do next. Derek can plainly see the other man’s indecision, he can’t help but find it cute and somehow even endearing. It’s abundantly clear that Scott wears his emotions out in the open for all to see, Derek can’t help but envy that sort of simple freedom. 

“Could I see you again?” Derek is taken aback at the ease with which the question slips out. Despite all that Derek’s said, he knows next to nothing about Scott but the desire to get to know him better is overwhelming. 

The almost timid manner with which Scott silts his head, lips curling into a delightfully goofy grin is beyond disarming. Those who knew Derek often associated him with a permanently affixed scowl. He knew, instantly that Scott was surely known for his smile. “Yes!” It comes out quick, excited and there’s the slightest rosy tint to Scott’s cheeks that if possible makes him even more adorable. “I mean, yeah. That’d be great.” 

Derek feels himself smiling, a truly genuine smile and if here honest probably the first since the fire that stole his family away. With a small degree of hesitance, Derek offers his hand to the other man “Derek.” It seems silly that given all Scott knows about him, that until now Derek has neglected to actually give his own name.

“Scott. Nice to meet you, Derek.” He tries to ignore the way his pulse quickens when Scott says his name. Or the way he feels a surge of warmth flits through him as Scott takes his hand, surely he imagines Scott’s eye flutter. 

Derek’s own gaze flickers to Scott’s lips and Scott definitely notices, subtly not being one of Derek’s better strengths. There’s a mischievous glint in the younger man’s eyes, Derek blinks in surprise at the sudden shift in Scott’s demeanor. His hazel eyes now sparkle with curious hint of that promises at something Derek can’t identify but longs to find out.

He leans slowly forward, both surprised and ecstatic when he sees Scott do the same. The moment seems to stretch on, no one but Scott and Derek their faces mere inches apart from one another. And that is the exact moment Stiles comes storming out of the cafe “damn it, Scott, stopping making kissy faces and help me!” Scott is so startled by the sudden interruption that the table between them jars as he stands abruptly to face Stiles. “I get, he’s hot but do you see that line? Come on, we need you for this rush.” Stiles has the decency to cast an apologetic look at Derek “I’m sure, Mr. Eyebrows here won’t mind waiting for you.”

“Mr. Eyebrows?” Derek repeats incredulously.

Scott’s light chuckle is abruptly cut off when Stiles takes hold of his arm. “See Mr. Eyebrows, does not object to waiting for you. Thank you, Mr. Eyebrows for your boundless patience.”

Stiles tries unsuccessfully to drag Scott away but Scott barely budges under his friend’s ministrations, instead turning to Derek. “Are you sure you don’t mind waiting? It could be awhile.”

“I’ll be here.” There’s not an ounce of hesitation to the words; he’d wait hours, even days for the opportunity to see Scott again. “Go back to work, Scott” he doesn't miss the slight tremor that sweeps through Scott at the mention of his name “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay, okay” Scott mutters softly, smiling to himself at last allowing Stiles to pull him along “see you then.”

The two baristas slip back into cafe and Derek is left alone, though he no longer feels quite so alone anymore. It’s definitely not one-sided, the sense of promise between them but he doesn't want to presume anything. If Scott would have him as a friend, that would be fine. If Scott would have him as more?

Then Derek, given time would cherish every beautiful smile that Scott chose to share with him.


End file.
